Big Thunder Mountain Railroad feels like pure fun: a runaway mine train, a mountain of red rock, and a few perfect sight gags that hit at 35 miles an hour. But the ride’s real story starts way earlier, in the myths America told itself about the frontier and the Western movies that turned those myths into pop culture. We follow that thread from Frederick Jackson Turner’s famous frontier thesis to how Walt Disney shaped his original Frontierland into something that resembles actual history.

Then things get messy. Mark Davis’ fingerprints are all over Disney's greatest achievements and in the late-'60s he began designing his theme park masterpiece: Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition. And that's when things start to go wrong.

But from the wreckage of the project emerged one of Disney's greatest attractions: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - the only ride that can actually be prescribed by a Doctor as a cure for kidney stones.

If you love Disney history, theme park design, Imagineering legends, or just want to ride Big Thunder with smarter eyes, hit play. Subscribe, share the episode with a fellow parks nerd, and leave a review with your best Big Thunder plus-up idea.

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